Nicole Cook College Instructor
This information was last updated on 08/09/04Where did I come from ?
Before May 22nd 2002 I lived about 50 miles North of San Francisco California in a town called Sebastopol with my Spouse ( Debbie), our 3 Chow Chows ( Misty, Tristian & Snowball) and our 2 cats (Marmalade) & (Satine) . We lived in Sebastopol for about 7 years, prior to that we lived in the Los Angeles Basin. We had to get out of Long Beach (which is right in the middle of the LA Basin) because there were just too many people.Before L.A. …. well let’s see, here is a brief synopsis: I was born in Alabama, raised in Florida, joined the Marines at 18 and ended up in California after the Marines. I went to College at Cal State Long Beach, worked on the first 2 Space Shuttles, designed airport x-ray machines that could see bombs and guns and then became a Project Management Consultant on mostly Government contracts before I started teaching.The San Francisco North Bay area (also called Telecom Valley) was nice. We were far enough away from SF not to have too many people. But if you had to drive to San Francisco you had to be prepared for a long commute. While in Sebastopol, I was a Instructor at two area Colleges – The College of Marin and Santa Rosa Jr. College . Both of these Colleges were area Community Colleges. It should be no surprise that I taught Computer Competency Classes at both of these Colleges.
Why did we move to Fairbanks ?
We decided to move to Fairbanks for a couple of reasons. We had been looking for a good opportunity for me to teach in a number of locations around the country. The common denominator for these places was snow. Both Debbie and I grew up in climates where it does not snow and we both wanted to live in the snow.After an interview and a little negotiation with the University of Alaska, Fairbanks for a full time position as a Assistant Professor, we were on our way to Fairbanks (by way of the Alaska Highway in a U-Haul, which is another story).
Why did we leave Fairbanks ?
We left Fairbanks for a variety of reasons. I have decided that I am a Californian and need to be in California. Also after having experinced two winters where the temperature gets to -40 degrees (or lower) you begin to appreciate why people do not live near the poles of the planet.What do I like to do in my spare time ?
I actually have a number of activities that I like to do. But I can pick several off of the top of the list (which indicates that I like them the most). Right now on the top of the list is SkyDiving. I have jumped almost 70 times out of a perfectly good airplane and have enjoyed it every time. Number 2 on the list is probably Downhill Snow Skiing. We may not have lived in the snow but I have skied down just about every mountain in California. Running would probably be next on the list, I like to run long distance and it is a good way to stay in shape. I have run in 4 Marathons and I ran in the Midnight Sun Run when we arrived here. The next on my list is most likely Scuba Diving, however, I do not think I will get too much of a chance to do that here in Fairbanks. I also like Hiking and Hot Tubing and I do think I will be able to do both of these while in Alaska.